Tentative Syllabus Start

In the spirit of making my work work for me, I’m posting the start of my syllabus in lieu of posting something else.  I stole the shape and sometimes the exact wording from both Sara Z. and Dr. Rice.  Remember, this is just the start.  The assignments will be more detailed after I work out the schedule.

Instructor: Allyson Miller
Day and Time: MWF 8:00-8:50 (Section 11)
Location: A&S 201
Office Hours: Friday 11:00-3:00 (If these hours conflict w/ other course, we can make arrangements to meet at another time.)
Office Location: Tate 1
Course Description:
English 1000, also known as English Composition, is a course designed to introduce first year students to college writing. That being the case, the course emphasis will be on production of texts (compositions) commensurate with college level writing.
Course Goals:
Since “college level writing” may seem like an ambiguous term at this point in your academic career, let me clarify a bit:
The papers that you write will engage complex questions in a clear, articulate, and logical manner. In order to engage, you will need information, which means research. In order to form complex questions you will need to learn how to synthesize and situate your research within your own ideas. In order to present your ideas in a clear, logical manner you will need to learn structure and form.
While we will be talking a great deal about writing, you will learn the most from the act of writing itself. Through writing we discover, and it’s my hope that your discoveries will be both personal and academic. In Internet Invention Gregory Ulmer coins the term “mystory” to refer to a process of discovery based on research drawn from a variety of influences in each person’s life. For Ulmer, mystory leads to an image of widescope, a unifying image that links all aspects of your life. For us, mystory will refer to something closer to my (his/her)story. We will draw from Ulmer’s theory of invention and discovery, but our goal will not be a unifying image; rather we will work towards a unifying text that unveils the depth of what we bring to bear on personal experience.
Course Model:
This is a workshop-model class, which is different from a lecture-model class in that it requires you to engage not only by actively listening but also by talking. Writers in the world do not create their work in a vacuum and neither will you: We will discuss ideas in small groups and as a whole class, we will read and critique one another’s work, and we will post ideas and projects online where they can be viewed by a larger community. Texts:
Best American Essays 2007, edited by …
Assignments:
Wiki Notes (? pts./10 pts. each)
Throughout the course we will use the wiki to post exercises that will contribute to your larger projects. On the schedule you will find specific assignments each of which will be worth ten points. These are all or nothing assignments, meaning you get full credit as long as you do the assignment. I strongly suggest, however, that you put time and effort into them – effort in wiki notes will save great amounts of time when working on the larger projects. The idea here is to break up a large project into nice manageable bites. Class Participation (100 pts.)
Come to class ready to participate. Take notes on readings and be prepared to discuss ideas. As previously stated, this is not a lecture course. Each person brings something valuable to the course and it is as much your responsibility to share your ideas as it is your responsibility to weigh and respect the ideas of others.
Wiki Feedback (150/50pts. each)
Every writer needs a reader to read their work, to talk to them about how their work is interpreted, where it is confusing, where it is especially clear and persuasive. You will provide feedback to one of your classmate’s for each of the three major projects. The feedback should be constructive and clear but worded gently. We will discuss in class how to read your classmates’ work critically and how to respond constructively, but keep in mind always that consideration is key.
Project 1: Personal Narrative (100 pts.)
The scope of this assignment is relatively broad. You may write about a place you visited, a memory, a broken bone, or what you had for dinner. The key point is that you employ the elements of personal narrative we discussed in class:
Setting
Character
Conflict
Theme
Your project will be 1500 words
Project 2: Research (150 pts.)
Your first assignment asked you to mine your own experience for material. For this assignment you will research three areas of inquiry relevant to your personal narrative and demonstrate how those areas tie together. The way you forge those links will dependent on the research itself, though you cannot use yourself or your personal narrative as the unifying principle.
Your project will be 1700 words
Project 3: My(his/her)story (200 pts.)
The areas of inquiry you chose for your second assignment were drawn directly from your personal narrative. Now it’s time to merge the narrative and the research, or, if you will, the soft and the hard writing. Remember David Foster Wallace’s Lobster Festival, the way in which the reader learned both of the festival, of the lobster, of the town, and of Wallace himself.
Your project will be 2000 words
Course Policies:
1. Attendance is mandatory. Class discussion depends on the entire class being present. Because this course meets three times a week, you are allowed three unexcused absences throughout the course. After that, your final grade will drop by one letter grade for each additional absence. Prolonged absences due to illness or absences due to having to attend a university sponsored event (athletics, theater, music, field trip) will be excused if you provide me with proper documentation from an appropriate authority. You are responsible for all work due for any missed class as well as for the readings and work for the following class. You are also responsible for any work covered during the class you missed. You should get the phone numbers of a couple of your classmates in case you miss a class. You can also contact me by e-mail.
2. Don’t be late to class. The class depends on your presence in order to conduct peer review and other in class activities. Three tardies will count as one unexcused absence.
3. Assignments are due on the class day they have been assigned for. Late work will not be accepted.
4. All assignments (unless otherwise noted) must be typed on white 8 1/2 X 11″ paper, be double spaced, have 1″ margins, and be according to MLA style.
5. All students are expected to honor the University’s Honor Code. All work must be your own. Copying work without giving credit is considered plagiarism. Evidence of plagiarism will be dealt with according to the university’s regulations.
6. Turn off your cell phones when you come to class. There is zero tolerance for cell phones going off in class and points will be deducted from your final grade if your phone does go off.
7. Many different opinions will be expressed in this class. Students are expected to respect the views of other students. Hate speech, whether race based, sex based, or sexual orientation based, will not be tolerated. A difference of opinion will naturally result and is expected and encouraged. But students must still respect the view points of the other students in the class.
8. The classroom is not a space for public grievances. If you are upset with a grade or some other class related issue, you should make an appointment with me so that we can discuss the problem. If you are not satisfied with the results of that meeting, you can then follow university procedures for grievances. Do not, however, make the class space or the email listserv a place for your complaints. Doing so will result in grade penalties. Anyone who uses the class listserv in order to complain about me, a grade, class, or other students will be removed from the listserv and given a 0 for email as well as a 0 for participation.

Finally, this syllabus functions as a non-negotiable contract. By choosing to take this course, you agree to the terms of the contract.